ABSTRACT
The understanding and modeling of social dynamics in a complex and unpredictable world emerges as a research target of particular importance. The study of social dynamics occurring in various local context with the analytical concepts originating from complexity theory is the research approach I propose in this chapter to extend the realm of sociology of translation. Complexity theory offers new ways of thinking about some of the classic dilemmas in social sciences. In particular, it revisits the concept of “system,” rejecting old assumptions about systemic equilibrium and re-specifying the relationship of a system to its environment. Given that complex systems have been found to have a network structure, social network analysis (SNA) is also used to demonstrate the social mapping of agents’ interaction and to better illuminate the complexity of agents’ involvement in a system (or network). I am drawing on complexity science’s conceptual tools such as system, emergence, self-organization, and dynamicity as well as SNA’s potentials to explore, understand, and characterize structure (or systemic) and connectivity. This study analyzes the “continuous crisis” (Khazaeefar and Ashrafi 2013) of Iran’s modern novel publishing field to explore not only the influence of socio-political discourse(s) on general network fluctuations but also the role of main agents (i.e. publishers, translators, and authors) in forming and changing this network between 1370 (=1991) and 1390 (=2010). What makes this timeframe specific is that, during this period, three different political discourses dominated the political system in Iran, and their impact was conspicuous in systemic fluctuations of the fields of literary translation as well as original novel publishing. Furthermore, considering the fact that literary polysystems serve as platforms of individual expression and public dialogue, I anticipate that their study as complex adaptive systems will significantly contribute to understanding, predicting, and monitoring social phenomena taking place on both online and offline social networks.
